LXX Gen 3:1–13: the serpent, the eating, and the questions
Says Swete prints ENG 2:25 as his 3:1a and the serpent sentence as 3:1b: Ὁ δὲ ὄφις ἦν φρονιμώτατος πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ὄφις (ophis, “serpent, snake”) renders הַנָּחָשׁ (hannahash); φρονιμώτατος (phronimōtatos, “most prudent”) renders עָרוּם ('arum). “Of the earth” stands where the MT has הַשָּׂדֶה (hassadeh), as again at 3:14.
Says At 3:5 the promise is ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοί, plural, for כֵּאלֹהִים (kelohim). At 3:6 Swete has καὶ ἔφαγον, plural, where the MT has the singular וַיֹּאכַל (wayyokhal).
Says At 3:8 the Lord God is περιπατοῦντος (peripatountos, “walking”), and τὸ δειλινόν (“toward evening”) stands for לְרוּחַ הַיּוֹם (leruah hayyom). 3:10 repeats περιπατοῦντος, which the MT lacks. 3:9 has the vocative Ἀδάμ, ποῦ εἶ; for אַיֶּכָּה (ayyekkah). 3:11 adds τούτου μόνου, as 3:17 does. At 3:13 the woman says Ὁ ὄφις ἠπάτησέν με; ἠπάτησεν (ēpatēsen, “deceived”) renders הִשִּׁיאַנִי (hishshi'ani).
Uncertain The lean taken here is that God’s questions in 3:9–13 draw a confession rather than seek information: the reader already knows of the eating and the hiding, and both answers end in an admission, καὶ ἔφαγον (3:12, 3:13). The alternative is that the questions are a real inquiry, like a hearing, and the story does not say what God knew.
Uncertain No lean is taken on the woman’s added οὐδὲ μὴ ἅψησθε (3:3), on whether the man was present (μετ’ αὐτῆς, 3:6), on “like God” or “like gods”, or on what the serpent is in Gen 3. For Revelation’s identification, see note.cross-reference.Gen.3.1-Gen.3.24.nt-echoes-form.
Claims
- SaysSwete prints ENG 2:25 as 3:1a and the serpent sentence as 3:1b; ὄφις renders הַנָּחָשׁ and φρονιμώτατος renders עָרוּם; “of the earth” stands where the MT has הַשָּׂדֶה, as again at 3:14.
- SaysAt 3:5 the promise is ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοί, plural, for כֵּאלֹהִים; at 3:6 Swete has καὶ ἔφαγον, plural, where the MT has the singular וַיֹּאכַל.
- SaysAt 3:8 the Lord God is περιπατοῦντος, and τὸ δειλινόν stands for לְרוּחַ הַיּוֹם; 3:10 repeats περιπατοῦντος, which the MT lacks; 3:9 has the vocative Ἀδάμ for אַיֶּכָּה; 3:11 and 3:17 add τούτου μόνου; at 3:13 ἠπάτησεν renders הִשִּׁיאַנִי.
- UncertainThe lean taken here is that God’s questions in 3:9–13 draw a confession rather than seek information, because the reader already knows of the eating and the hiding and both answers end in an admission; the alternative is that the questions are a real inquiry and the story does not say what God knew.
- UncertainNo lean is taken on the woman’s added “touch”, on whether the man was present, on “like God” or “like gods”, or on what the serpent is in Gen 3.
Citations
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 3:1–13 (Swete 3:1b–13), vol. 1, p. 4 (oldtestamentingr01swetuoft, viewer leaf n35) and p. 5 (viewer leaf n36), text and apparatus; read on the page images
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 3:1–13 (WLC/OSHB)
- Abbott-Smith public domain s.vv. ὄφις (a serpent, snake; LXX chiefly for נָחָשׁ), φρόνιμος (practically wise, sensible, prudent), περιπατέω (to walk), ἀπατάω (to deceive; passive at 1 Tim 2:14); paraphrased
Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
2026-11-10
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